Cypress’ Erika Manning Really Making the Grade : After a Rocky Start in Her Freshman Year, She’s a Leader in Classroom, on the Court

There was a time three years ago that Cypress High School center Erika Manning was not an exemplary role model. As a freshman she struggled in school, earning a preponderance of Ds.

Now, Manning, a 5-foot-10 senior post player, is earning top grades and is among the leading scorers and rebounders in Orange County girls’ basketball.

“I get my name in the paper, and my statistics are in the paper. I realize I’ve accomplished a lot,” Manning said. “And that makes me happy that I’ve done it.”

Manning says her classroom struggles came after her family moved to the county from Chicago before her eighth-grade year. She didn’t want to move; she resented having to leave friends and she carried that resentment into the classroom.

“I went to class,” Manning says of her freshman year at Cypress, “but I was lazy. I didn’t pay attention and I didn’t want to do my best.”

Said Cypress assistant coach Marie Upton: “We almost lost that kid. I used to have to go out in the parking lot and drag her in to practice. She was hanging out with the wrong crowd.”

But basketball helped get Manning back on track. She had been ineligible for basketball during part of her freshman year and knew she’d have to get her grades up if she wanted to play.

“When I had to sit on the bench and watch the games, and watch them having fun, I decided I wasn’t going to sit the bench anymore,” she said.

Last week, she brought home all ‘A’s’ on her semester report card and says she has averaged at least a 3.0 since her sophomore year.

“I think she just realized her potential,” Cypress Coach Norma Leibfreid said. Manning leads the Centurions in scoring (14.7 points) and rebounding (9.5). A follower back then, Manning now exhibits leadership characteristics. “A lot of the girls look up to her because she made the determination to get better,” Leibfreid said.

Teammate Sheryl Murakoshi sees Manning as an important part of the team.

“She always knows the scores from other games, and she knows what the league standings are,” Murakoshi said. “She’s the one who’s on the ball. I feel she’s the leader of the team.”

Leibfreid said that without Manning the Centurions might not have finished better than fourth or fifth in the Empire League this season. Cypress is 18-7 overall and 8-2 in the league, qualifying for the Southern Section 4-A playoffs for the first time in eight years. The Centurions play host to Glenn tonight.

“I didn’t think she’d be as strong as she has been,” Leibfreid said. “I knew she had ability, but I didn’t know if she’d come around.

“She’s really worked hard on her game. She’s learning the game so much more this year. Last year, she was a reserve, just learning what varsity was about.”

The effort has not gone unnoticed either. Two community colleges, Cypress and Fullerton, have shown an interest in her, but she is unsure of her plans.

“I really didn’t think I’d get the chance to play in college,” Manning said.

“It shows that if you really want to do something, you have to go after it because it’s not going to be served to you on a silver platter.”